Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Orange Moon Wednesday, January 5, 2022 "We"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(a repeat and rewrite from 2019 concerning a truth we do well to remember as the year begins.  And, as it continues.)


"We"

   

    

    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ live as a "we" with the living and true God.

    "We are laborers together with God… I am with you always… I will dwell in them and walk in them… the Spirt of God dwelleth in you" (II Corinthians 3:9; Matthew 28:20; II Corinthians 6:16; I Corinthians 3:16). 

    This is more than a concept, more than a static condition, and even more than doctrine (without minimizing the vital importance of doctrinal truth).  The fact of God's indwelling and abiding presence graces every born again believer as living reality.  Being in Christ and Christ being in us constitutes the great fact and reality of our existence.   

   We do well to pause and allow this truth to sink in for a moment - and for a lifetime and eternity.  Indeed, if this truth be true, can anything be more vital to our lives and existence?  Can anything be more wondrous, glorious, encouraging, and invigorating?   We are never alone, and our Heavenly Father does not require us to live by ourselves, or by our own inadequate designs and devices.

   "Fear thou not, for I am with thee.  Be not dismayed, for I am thy God.  Yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10).

   God assured Israel of His presence even before He made possible the gift of the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit to those who believe in the Lord Jesus.  What would He now say to us now, in light of the gift having been given, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within our trusting hearts?  We know the answer. The New Testament epistles are the answer.  The epistles were written not merely to believers, but to believers as inhabited by Spirit of the Lord Jesus.  Even to the carnal Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16).  Paul referred to such wonder as "the hope of glory, which is Christ in you" (Colossians 1:27).  Thus, we may live this day with confidence of bringing glory to God through the active presence of the risen Christ.   Such hope will not and cannot be fulfilled in any other way.  "To live is Christ… Without Me, ye can do nothing" (Philippians 1:21; John 15:5).

   We do not have to face this day alone.  We will not do so.  We can, however, forget or disbelieve the blessed truth that Christ lives in us and we live in Him.  We can relate to God and people as if we are just ourselves.  We can deal with home or work issues as if we are alone. We can experience blessings without realizing  the presence of the Bless-er. We can face problems, pains, and difficulties without living in the reality of God's "very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  We can seek to fulfill God's calling in our lives by doing our best rather than seeking to do His best, as led and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  As Jacob of old confessed,  "Surely the Lord is in this place.  And I knew it not!" (Genesis 28:16).

   Certainly, we have all too often disregarded the vital presence of our Lord in this lifetime wherein we "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). Great challenge confronts us regarding the remembrance and affirmation of "We."  Bells and whistles may not sound when we believe the truth. Red Seas may not seem to part.  Spectacular and open displays of God's power may not present themselves to our senses and awareness.  However, when we remember and affirm the truth of Christ's abiding presence and active involvement, change does occur.  Our hearts change.  Our expectations change.  Our attitudes change.  Our steps change.  We are changed as we behold "the hope of glory," and as the realization of faith unveils to us Christ's living presence within our hearts, and with us both now and forevermore…

"Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
(II Corinthians 3:18)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.
(Ephesians 5:2)








 





































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